2014 Telescope Awards

Telescope of the Year Awards

TelescopesPlus.com welcomes you back to our annual Telescope of the Year Awards. Throughout each year, we continually explore telescopes from the top-rated manufacturers in the world to find our favorites. These awards are the result - we present the best of the best, and the right telescopes for you and your hobby. Whether you're on an astronomical or terrestrial budget, there's something out there that'll open your eyes.

We continually work with the makers to put each telescope through a series of tests to decide the winners. We assemble and study them closely in our building and take them home and out to star parties for testing. We observe their construction and features closely and enjoy looking through them very far. Our experts rate their performance in a variety of situations with our customers in mind. We've defined 7 categories of telescope that our viewers vie for and awarded the best of each. It's been quite an adventurous year … read on to find out why!

Best Telescope For Beginners

Best GPS Telescope

3-Time Consecutive Winner! Similar to a Triple Crown Winner, the Celestron AstroMaster 114 EQ goes 3-for-3 in 2014. It's pretty clear that this perennial best-seller is responsible for more new astronomy enthusiasts every year than any other on the market. The simple design introduces users to the principles of alignment, tracking objects, and making adjustments to see what they've always dreamed of through their telescope. With a complete package (telescope, tripod, mount, and accessories) available under $200, we recommend the AstroMaster as a gift for kids or adults who've expressed interest in looking skyward.

Best GPS Telescope

It was difficult to find another series of telescopes to match the Celestron CPCs. These fork-mounted telescopes are some the most portable around and pack a GPS database that calculates the date, time, longitude, and latitude of your current location so you can start locating objects wherever you land. Celestron's SkyAlign technology kicks in and aligns your scope flawlessly based on GPS data and any three objects in the sky … and you're ready to go! Of course, they haven't skimped on the viewing experience, either, using Schmidt-Cassegrain design, premium glass with StarBright coatings, and tons of extras ideal for mobile astrophotography.Shop The Series

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With the Tasco 402x60 Refractor Telescope and 1200x Microscope, you can let your kids familiarize themselves with outer space and inner space! This beginner refractor telescope and 1200x microscope set will open their eyes to the very large and distant objects in the heavens, as well as the very small and near objects that comprise the world we live in.

60mm telescope for astronomy and daytime use

The Tasco 60mm refractor telescope offers a user-friendly design and enough power to get acquainted with the night sky. A 2x Barlow lens, finderscope, and full-size tripod are included to help put stars and heavenly bodies in clear view. Since we also throw in a 35x land-viewing eyepiece, you'll still get plenty of use during daylight hours as you observe landscapes, nature, and more.

Beginner's microscope magnifies up to 1200x

The Tasco microscope boasts a magnification power of up to 1200x, so you can get an up-close-and-personal view of just about anything you can place on a slide. Speaking of slides, you'll get some of those along with slide covers, dyes, and other essentials in the included 19-piece accessory kit.

Encourage curiosity!

At such an attractive price point, this affordable telescope and microscope package is a sound investment for kids curious about biology, astronomy, or science in general. A terrific way to give children a head start, or for curious minds of any age!